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The activity of mining is bound to the environment in a myriad of ways. A location’s geology determines whether or not extraction will take place. Extraction in turn shapes the geography of the environment as rocky outcrops are transformed into pits and land is stripped bare of trees and grasses. The landscape becomes marked by the artefacts of industrialisation: headgears, smoke stacks, warehouses, office buildings, compounds, electric wires and railway lines. Mining does not simply transform a locale’s environment but is reliant on its features. Mining relies on the muscle power of human and non-human alike to dig shafts and haul ore. Animals are brought to mining centres to be slaughtered for meat or to be coerced into providing labour. Rivers are diverted to provide drinking water for the mining centre’s inhabitants and for the operations of the mine itself whilst new forests and biotopes emerge as urban environments see people from across the globe come and plant new trees and plants. Crops are grown in the locale or imported from afar to provide food for workers and fodder for animals. Furthermore, mining is responsible for the pollution of water supplies, the scarring of the landscape and the emission of toxic fumes into the atmosphere. In these ways industrial mining was dependent on features of the environment and in turn came to shape the environment.
These changes and dependencies are illustrated when we look at the role of mining in shaping the economies and environments of southern Africa as cities such as Kimberley in South Africa and Tsumeb in Namibia developed across the region as a direct consequence of mineral resource extraction. A example of this process is the city of Kabwe in Zambia where the next Boom to Dust workshop is to be held. For more than 90 years industrial mining transformed the environment of Kabwe from an expanse of savannah grassland, miombo woodland (Brachystegia and Julbernardia) and isolated hills into a bustling urban centre. Kabwe is one of the research sites of the Boom to Dust project which explores the multi-species, environmental histories of mining centres across the southern African region.
Between the 25 and 27 August the Boom to Dust project will be hosting a workshop at Mulungushi University near Kabwe, Zambia. For this workshop we invite scholars to present papers on themes relating to the environmental histories of mining and mineral resource extraction. In particular we encourage historically grounded explorations of the relationship between mining and vegetation, mining and animals and mining and water landscapes.
It is the intention of the organisers to publish an edited volume in the African Dynamics Series with Brill Publishers. The edited volume will consist of select papers presented at the Boom to Dust workshops.
If you wish to attend the workshop send a paper abstract (max 300 words) and a biographical statement (max 100 words). The paper abstract should briefly describe the research topic and how it addresses the themes of the workshop.
We look forward to your contributions and to seeing you at the second Boom to Dust workshop to be held in Africa. This time at Mulungushi University, Kabwe, Zambia.
- The Boom to Dust project will cover accommodation costs for participants and travel costs for select participants.
- The deadline for abstract submissions is 15 February 2026.
- The final decision on accepted papers will be made by 15 March 2026.
- The deadline for paper submissions is 31 July 2026. We will pre-circulate the papers to workshop participants.
- You can submit your abstract directly to me at w.s.swindell@asc.leidenuniv.nl or through the Boom to Dust Website.